This invention relates to methods of in-band signaling for measurement of system latency in wireless and wire line communications and, in particular, to the use of latency measurements for time synchronization and synchronization error measurement between a reference clock and a remote clock in communication over a wireless and/or wire line voice communication network.
Numerous methods of signaling are known for accurately synchronizing a slave oscillator with a distant master oscillator. One such known method uses SPS signals that are transmitted from master oscillator-bearing earth satellites of a satellite positioning system (SPS) such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) or GLONASS. A slave oscillator is synchronized to a SPS master oscillator in a normal SPS signal receiving mode called xe2x80x9clock.xe2x80x9d In a mobile unit including an SPS positioning receiver, the amount of synchronization error between the SPS master oscillator and a slave oscillator of the SPS positioning receiver impacts the ability of the SPS positioning receiver to accurately determine its position from the SPS signals using satellite ephemeris data. For example, the synchronization error of a slave oscillator of a GPS receiver must be less than about +/xe2x88x92500 microseconds (xcexcsec) from a GPS satellite master oscillator in order to obtain a location fix from a cold start in less than 30 seconds. In lock mode, the slave oscillator is typically synchronized to within +/xe2x88x9210 xcexcsec of the GPS satellite master oscillator. When SPS signals are not available, for example because SPS satellites are out of view, or when the mobile unit has not acquired an SPS satellite signal, the mobile unit must be re-synchronized due to drift of the slave oscillator over time. Re-synchronization requires a significant amount of time if SPS signals must be used. SPS synchronization from a cold start is also time consuming. Synchronization processing times of up to one minute or more from cold start are not uncommon.
Other types of electronic equipment such as computer networking equipment, instruments, control systems, and ranging devices also rely upon accurately synchronized internal clocks. U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,797 of Abraham et al. describes the use of an SPS receiver in connection with computers and time-controlled instruments to synchronize their internal clocks.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,368,987 of Waters describes a synchronization method for satellites in which a master pulse is transmitted by a master-clock station to a slave station where a slave pulse having conjugate phase with respect to the received master pulse is retransmitted for receipt by the master station. A measurement at the master station of a time difference between the master pulse and the received slave pulse is used to calculate a time phase difference between the master clock and the slave clock. The time phase difference is then used to synchronize the clocks. Waters requires cooperation between the satellite-based master station and the satellite-based slave station in order to determine phase difference and for clock synchronization. Thus, the method described by Waters is not a substitute for re-synchronization of an SPS-enabled mobile unit. SPS satellites, which were originally developed for military use, will not retransmit a slave pulse in response to a master pulse received from the mobile unit. Nor will the SPS satellites, conversely, receive a conjugate slave pulse generated by the mobile unit or calculate a phase time difference.
For calls originating from wire line telephones, Automatic Number Identification (ANI) service allows a call receiving station, such as a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), to quickly lookup the name and address of the caller (registered telephone owner) in an owner database. The portable nature of wireless communications devices eliminates the viability of such a lookup scheme in wireless networks. Wireless mobile telephone units incorporating SPS receivers have been contemplated as a way to generate location data that can then be transmitted to a call receiving station. In theory, the generation and transmission of location data in this manner would be especially useful for locating a wireless caller that dials 911 to report an emergency, but who is unable to verbally provide location information to a PSAP operator.
While SPS-enabled wireless telephones may provide the capability to accurately determine and transmit location data, numerous practical realities present obstacles to the timely and efficient generation and transmission of location data to a call receiving station. For example, the SPS receiver of the SPS-enabled wireless telephone may need to synchronize to SPS time before it can generate useable location data. In an emergency situation involving a call to a PSAP, the amount of time required to synchronize the SPS receiver using SPS satellite signals can cost lives.
FIG. 1 shows a diagram of a prior art voice communications network 10 including a wireless communications network 12 coupled to a wire line communications network (POTS network) 14. With reference to FIG. 1, wireless communications network 12 includes one or more cellular base stations 16 each having an associated base station antenna 18 and a mobile switching center 20. Mobile switching center 20 couples cellular base station 16 to POTS network 14 to allow a wire line call taker 22, such as a PSAP, to communicate with a mobile unit 24 of wireless communications network 12. In operation, mobile unit 24 transmits and receives signals that are respectively received and transmitted by cellular base station 16 over two transmission channels 26. These transmission channels 26 include a voice channel 27 (which is also known as the call path, the voice call path, the voice call connection, the audio call path, the audio traffic channel, and the traffic channel) for transmitting radio-frequency signals representative of voice, and a control channel 28 (also known as an overhead channel and the non-call path) for transmitting call initiation and control signals. In digital wireless communications networks, transmissions over control channel 28 consist of packetized digital data. Protocols for control channel 28 and the type of data that can be carried on control channel 28 are determined by the type of control channel communications protocol in use by wireless communications network. Because each type of wireless network uses its own protocol, control signals must be decoded at cellular base station 16.
Other inherent limitations of the prior art will become apparent upon a review of the following summary of the invention and detailed description of preferred embodiments.
Wireline and wireless communications systems have some system latency, typically less than 500 milliseconds (ms), due to propagation and processing of signals traveling in the call path. In wireless communications networks, differences in air interface protocols, base stations, handset manufacturers, and transmission distances make the system latency variable.
The present invention provides methods for determining a system latency of a voice communication network for signals transmitted between a reference station and a remote unit over an audio call path of the voice communications network. The system latency is then taken into account during synchronization of the remote unit with a reference oscillator of the reference station. Measurement of system latency is accomplished by a signaling sequence including transmitting a reference signal over the audio call path from the reference station to the remote unit, where a reply signal is generated and transmitted back to the reference station over the call path after a preselected reply delay interval. The reference signal and the reply signal are transmitted for respective predetermined reference and reply durations, which may be dictated by signal attenuation characteristics of the voice communications network. The reply delay interval begins upon receipt of the reference signal at the remote unit and must be preselected to allow sufficient time for the remote unit to process the reference signal and generate the reply signal. A measurement is made at the reference station to determine a round-trip time difference between transmission of the reference signal and receipt of the reply signal. A total latency is then calculated as the round-trip time difference less the sum of the reference duration, the reply duration, and the reply delay interval.
In another aspect of the present invention, a correction interval is calculated as one-half the total latency, and a synchronization signal representing the correction interval is then transmitted from the reference station over the call path for receipt by the remote unit. The remote unit synchronizes itself with the reference oscillator in response to the synchronization signal. Synchronization may be effectively accomplished in a number of different ways, for example, by storing the synchronization signal at the remote unit and using it later as a parameter for calculating synchronized time, or by adjustment or restarting of the remote oscillator upon receipt of a synchronization mark of the synchronization signal.
In a further aspect of the present invention, the remote unit is a mobile unit that includes an SPS receiver. In this aspect, the remote oscillator is coupled to or made part of the SPS receiver and is used by the SPS receiver, in conjunction with, SPS satellite signals to determine a location of the remote unit. Synchronization of the remote oscillator may be accomplished by any of the above-described synchronization techniques or by modification, in response to the synchronization signal, of algorithms used by the SPS receiver to calculate the location of the remote unit.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, the reference signal, the reply signal, and the synchronization signal are all audio-frequency signals that are adapted to freely pass through the voice communications network. Such audio-frequency signals are necessary for transmission over a voice call path of an advanced communications network of the type that uses compression protocols and/or spread-spectrum technology to maximize call traffic in a limited radio-frequency bandwidth. Examples of protocols used in advanced communications networks include time-division multiple access (TDMA), code-division multiple access (CDMA), global system for mobile communication (GSM), and others. The reference, reply, and synchronization signals also transmit freely through analog wireless networks. These audio-frequency signals are specifically configured to emulate certain characteristics of the human voice such as, for example, frequency, amplitude, and duration. By generating signals that resemble sounds of the human voice, the present invention thereby avoids destruction of the signals by the voice communications network.
In another aspect of the present invention, the signals are audio-frequency signals that include one or more audio tones, multi-frequency tones, or substantially Gaussian pulses generated by a multi-frequency controller. The Gaussian pulses are characterized by a 3"sgr" (standard deviationxc3x973) of between about 0.3 ms and 1 ms, and an amplitude of between xe2x88x924 dBm and xe2x88x9210 dBm to avoid destructive attenuation by the voice communications network. Single or multi-frequency tones have a duration of between about 5 ms and 50 ms and a frequency in the range of about 300 to 3000 Hz. In a method using multiple tones or pulses per signal, the time of receipt of the tones or pulses (of a particular signal) may be averaged to improve accuracy of latency measurements and synchronization. The signals may also comprise a pulse train created by concatenating a plurality of tones or pulses spaced at regular and irregular intervals. Irregular spacing of tones or pulses facilitates accurate correlation of the reply signal to the reference signal at the reference station for calculation of the total round-trip time difference. Use of these techniques allows synchronization of the remote unit to within +/xe2x88x92500 xcexcsec of the reference oscillator. In SPS-enabled remote units, use of the method of the present invention significantly reduces the time it takes the SPS receiver to attain SPS lock.
In still another aspect of the present invention, the signaling sequence is initiated by the remote unit, which generates and transmits the reference pulse, the receipt of which prompts the reference station to reply with a reply pulse after a reply delay interval. Latency calculations may then be performed at the remote unit. Synchronization of the remote unit still requires the remote unit to receive a synchronization signal transmitted by the reference station upon a time mark output of the reference oscillator.
The present invention presents particularly significant advantages in the context of a cellular telephone network in which the remote unit comprises a wireless communications device such as a cellular telephone. Unlike known wireless data communication devices, which transmit data and synchronization signals over a control or xe2x80x9coverheadxe2x80x9d channel of the communications network, the present invention requires no special equipment or software to be installed at a base station site of the wireless network for handling the reference, reply, and synchronization signals. By avoiding transmission over the control channel, the present invention lends itself to cost efficient implementation by avoiding modification of existing wireless and wire line (POTS) telephone network infrastructure. To the contrary, the present invention operates transparently over the existing infrastructure. xe2x80x9cIn-bandxe2x80x9d signals in the voice call path can be received at any point in the wireless or wire line networks, for to example at a location services controller or PSAP, which may also serve as a reference station. The present invention also provides advantages over prior-art wireless modem devices, which fully occupy the voice call path during data transmission by switching the wireless communications device to a data mode. By keeping the voice call path available to the wireless telephone user during latency measurement, synchronization, and location data transfer, the present invention facilitates substantially concurrent verbal communication between the wireless user and a call taker.
Many additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.